Not only will Hughes direct Richard Greenberg's A Naked Girl on the Appian Way (Broadway previews begin Sept. 13) and Eugene O'Neill's A Touch of the Poet (performances begin Nov. 11 at Studio 54), but the much-in-demand director has just signed on to helm the new musical Ever After, according to Variety.

Produced by Adam Epstein, the musical is based on the Drew Barrymore film of the same name, which was seen on movie screens in 1998. Producer Epstein described the project to the industry paper thusly: "Cinderella as not told by the Brothers Grimm — no magic pumpkin, no talking mice, no fairy godmother. It tells a real-life story about a heroine who fights societal constraints against all odds."

The musical will feature a book by Sarah, Plain and Tall's Julia Jordan, choreography by Thoroughly Modern Millie's Rob Ashford and a score by Zina Goldrich and Marcy Heisler, the talented duo who penned The Girl Most Likely To and the cabaret classic "Taylor, the Latte Boy." A reading of Ever After is planned for February 2006 with a Broadway arrival expected in fall 2007.

Ever After will mark director Hughes' musical debut. He told Variety he chose the project because "the story does sing. It's like the musicals I loved as a kid when I had my head stuck in the stereo listening to Rodgers & Hammerstein shows."

The 1998 film "Ever After" featured a screenplay by Susannah Grant and direction by Andy Tennant. A new take on the classic "Cinderella" fairy tale, the motion picture starred Drew Barrymore as Danielle De Barbarac, a young woman who is made a servant by her stepmother after the death of her father. The cast also featured Anjelica Huston, Dougray Scott, Patrick Godfrey, Megan Dodds, Melanie Lynskey, Timothy West, Judy Parfitt and Jeroen Krabbé.